The Los Angeles Clippers (19-24) came into Tuesday night riding a six-game winning streak, looking every bit like the team many expected to compete in the Western Conference this season.
The Chicago Bulls (21-22) didn’t care.
Advertisement
Behind one of the best shooting nights in franchise history, Chicago buried Los Angeles 138-110 at the United Center and put a sudden end to the Clippers’ hot streak.
It was clear early on the Bulls had something cooking.
Chicago connected on 25 three-pointers to tie a franchise record, with seven different players reaching double figures in what turned into a blowout.
Coby White led the charge with a season-high 27 points on 6-for-10 shooting from deep, setting the tone as the Bulls raced out to a 21-point halftime lead.
The Clippers did try to make things interesting in the third quarter.
Advertisement
John Collins caught fire with 11 points, throwing down an alley-oop off an Ivica Zubac feed before draining a three to cut the deficit to just six. For a moment, it felt like Los Angeles might steal one.
Then Chicago slammed the door shut with a 13-0 run, featuring five different scorers, showing the kind of balanced attack that makes this Bulls team dangerous when they’re clicking.
The Clippers were already without Kawhi Leonard, who was sent home from the road trip with a left knee contusion and has now missed three straight.
Without their star, Los Angeles never found their footing.
Advertisement
James Harden poured in 24 points, and Collins added 23 off the bench, but it wasn’t nearly enough against a Bulls squad that couldn’t miss.
Los Angeles shot just 3-for-13 from three in the first half and trailed by as many as 31 points.
Still, the bigger picture isn’t all bad for the Clippers.
They finished their grueling road trip with travel across the continent with a winning record, and the young guys stepped up throughout the stretch, and that depth will matter down the line.
Matas Buzelis added 21 points for Chicago while Nikola Vucevic chipped in 19 points and eight boards.
Advertisement
Ayo Dosunmu had 18 off the bench, and Tre Jones stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points and 10 assists as the Bulls improved to 13-9 at home.
Josh Giddey sat out with a hamstring strain but could return Thursday when Chicago heads to Minnesota.
The Clippers, meanwhile, head back to Los Angeles for a Thursday night showdown against the Lakers.
It was an ugly finish to the road trip, but 2-1 is nothing to be upset about, especially with Leonard set to be reevaluated once the team gets home.